Biography: Burberry began as a small outfitters shop in Basingstoke, England. Today it is a coveted luxury brand. In May 2006, Vogue’s Sarah Mower called the company’s transformation “one of the great corporate wonders of the world: the improbable tale of how a staid British raincoat company became a hot and fashionable multifaceted global brand.”
Thomas Burberry opened the doors to his shop in 1856, specializing in functional clothing for outdoor and sport activities. Burberry patented the water-repellent, but ventilated, twill fabric gabardine, and the company has in the past referred to its founder as “the man who found the answer to the problems of weather and climate.” In the early twentieth century, Burberry also produced outerwear for the British military, including the style which, after the First World War, became known as the trench coat. Burberry’s innovations extended to its many designs for active sportswear, such as the “pivot sleeve” for golf, which focused on ease of movement. The company’s distinctive plaid—in beige, red, black, and white—was first used in coat linings during the 1920s, but has since decorated everything from scarves to handbags to bikinis.
CEO Rose Marie Bravo was instrumental in revitalizing and rebranding the company during her tenure from 1997 until 2005. Bravo first hired Italian designer Roberto Menichetti, and after his departure in 2001, Briton Christopher Bailey was appointed creative director. The company’s lines include Burberry London, and the high fashion collection, Burberry Prorsum, which debuted for spring 1999. The word “Prorsum,” which translates from Latin as “forward,” has long appeared on versions of the Burberry logo. Since his arrival, Bailey has been particularly successful at propelling this heritage brand in that direction.
For Prorsum, Bailey has reinterpreted some of the company’s iconic styles, finding inspiration not only in Burberry’s history, but in that of England and its people as well. Bailey recognizes that there is a fine line between drawing on the past, and dwelling on it. He told Harper’s Bazaar in November 2005, “I hope the Britishness never becomes pastiche. I would hate for it to look literally like Twiggy or the Mitfords. For me it’s always been more of a spirit.” [J.F.]

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